


Counting Lightning

by alwayssunnyprompts



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 00:12:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15327480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwayssunnyprompts/pseuds/alwayssunnyprompts
Summary: "Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. After all, if Mac does get electrocuted, he can witness it and gloat firsthand, with only a small possibility of a hospital trip. If he doesn’t, he just has to deal with Mac’s cockiness for a few hours at most, and he still gets to see him squirm at the prospect of them showering together."Thunderstorms make for interesting arguments.





	Counting Lightning

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Mac breezes past him, carrying a towel.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Mac stops, turning to Dennis, a look of confusion on his face.

"Going to shower. Why?"

"Mac, it's storming outside."

"Uh, but, we're inside, dude. And I want to shower, so." 

"Oh my god. You can't shower while it's storming. How do you not know this?"

"Wait, what? Why not?" Now he looks interested. 

"Because lightning might strike the house and electrocute you in the shower. This is common knowledge, Mac."

"Oh...wow. I had no idea." A different look is crossing his face now. He looks excited.

"Oh my god, Dennis. This is a perfect opportunity to show how badass I am. If I beat the storm, I'll be more stronger than nature itself. Plus, I’m a good Christian, so God would never let me get struck by lightning.”  

Dennis reaches up to the bridge of his nose, pinching gently. He sighs and takes a deep breath. 

"Mac, what you're saying is ridiculous. What is happening? You know what? It doesn’t matter, because I'll tell you what's not happening! You will not be taking a shower during the storm, and that's final."  

He crosses his arms to demonstrate his authority. 

"Dennis..." Mac pouts a little. 

"No! Absolutely not!"

"Dennis, come on! It'll be the most badass thing ever."

"There’s nothing badass about electrocution, Mac." 

"There's gotta be, like, almost no chance of that happening, dude!”

“I promise you there is a chance and—regardless of the numbers—it’s not a chance I am willing to take, and that’s the end of it!”

Mac still doesn’t look swayed by his argument. His face looks weird. The way he’s holding himself makes it seem like he's uncomfortable, but his expression softens, and he looks into Dennis’s eyes as he talks. 

“Aw, Dennis. Are you worried about me?”

Dennis feels his heart-rate speed up and his face start to burn. He feels hot and sweaty, like he’s trapped in his own skin. 

“What? Jesus Christ, Mac. I’m a grown man,” he lets hostility color his voice, "Worried? About you? That’s ridiculous. I just don’t want to have to drag your ass to a hospital in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the goddamn night. Don’t flatter yourself.” 

His heart sinks a little as he finishes, his defensiveness promptly fading. Guilt starts to set in as he glances at Mac, who’s clearly upset but trying to hide it. His face has flushed even deeper, and he’s staring at the ground.

“Well, then it doesn’t really matter if I shower or not, does it? If you aren’t worried, then why bother arguing with me, dude? Besides, you can’t actually stop me. Even if you tried, I’d be able to overpower you physically. You wouldn’t stand a chance. What, do you want to chaperone me or something? Jesus.” 

“Yeah, okay. I’d like to see you try, Mac. Better yet, just get in the goddamn shower. See if I care. But don’t come crying to me when you get fried. God, do I have to babysit you? Sit in on your shower? Oh, yeah, let’s just get in together, because nothing matters!” He lets himself escalate, and by the end he’s yelling, voice dripping with sarcasm, chest heaving and hands shaking. Adrenaline is pumping through his veins. 

“Fine! If you it’ll shut you up, let’s go!"

They freeze. Mac looks a little shocked at his own words. Angry too—he’s glowering, and spots of red are high on his cheeks. His mouth is set in a stubborn line, and he’s chewing on his bottom lip. Dennis feels his blood rushing in his ears, trying to digest what Mac just said. He feels a little sick, but a pleasant warmth is blossoming in his chest, sinking to rest in his stomach. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. After all, if Mac does get electrocuted, he can witness it and gloat firsthand, with only a small possibility of a hospital trip. If he doesn’t, he just has to deal with Mac’s cockiness for a few hours at most, and he still gets to see him squirm at the prospect of them showering together. 

“Sure, Mac,” an easy smirk plays on his lips. 

Mac blinks a few times. 

“Huh?”

Mac looks like his brain is short-circuiting. He takes an unconscious step toward Dennis, who immediately closes the small space between them and turns to whisper in Mac’s ear, pressing his hip against Mac’s crotch. Mac gasps and tries to step back, almost tripping. Dennis leans forward, cupping his jaw. 

“Sure. Let’s shower together. Why not, right?”

“Dennis, what are you—" Dennis presses a kiss to the corner of Mac’s mouth. 

“Dennis, I thought we agreed we wouldn’t do this anymore.” He’s trying to sound annoyed, but his breathlessness and trembling hands grasping at Dennis’s biceps betray him. Nevertheless, Dennis leans back a little, pumping the brakes. 

“Do you want me to stop, or do you just wish you wanted me to stop?” 

Mac is chewing on his lip again, his left hand traveling up to touch the side of his mouth that Dennis had just kissed. He’s blushing profusely and Dennis can see beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His expression is crinkled and his eyes are watery. They’re close enough that Dennis can feel Mac’s heart racing, his quickening breaths grazing Dennis’s collarbone. A tear drops onto the hand that’s still holding Mac’s face. Dennis blinks in surprise, guilt washing through his chest.

“Shh. Hey,” Dennis lowers his voice, gently strokes Mac’s jaw with his thumb, “don’t cry. It’s alright, I’ll stop. I'm sorry." 

He steps back, makes to let go of his jaw, but Mac catches his hand as he's pulling it away. 

"I... I don't want you to stop," he says quietly, his voice breaking. He pulls Dennis's hand back to his cheek, holding it there. He closes his eyes.

Thunder crashes, startling them. Mac jumps, his grip on Dennis's hand tightening slightly. Dennis uses his other arm to pull him into a cautious hug, cupping the back of his neck. Mac melts into the embrace, sniffling into Dennis's shoulder.

"Still want to shower?" Dennis asks softly.

Mac laughs a little, emotion clogging his voice. "Kind of." 

"How about we compromise. Bath? I'll wash your hair with my shampoo. The one that you like." 

"Really?" His voice is muffled.

"Sure. We can listen to some music, too. And I won't even get in unless you want me to." He moves his hand off Mac's neck and brings it to rest in his hair, stroking gently.

"Okay. Thanks, Dennis."

Dennis detaches himself from Mac, pulling back and gripping both of his shoulders for a moment before really stepping back to let Mac breathe for a few seconds. He still seems a little jittery, but most of the major anxiety has gone from his face. He reaches down and intertwines their hands, looking up at Dennis and smiling shyly.

Dennis smiles too, leading him to the bathroom. 

  

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to submit requests at alwayssunnyprompts.tumblr.com


End file.
